


Ennoshita Chikara Does Not Want a Relationship (Really.)

by Justagaybean



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asexual Character, Asexual Ennoshita Chikara, Attempt at Humor, Beta Read, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Humor, Jealousy, M/M, Miscommunication, Public Display of Affection, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, leave me and my headcanons alone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29400486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justagaybean/pseuds/Justagaybean
Summary: Ennoshita was absolutely fine when all of his teammates started getting into relationships with each other. Absolutely fine. Who cares if Noya talked about Asahi all the time, or if Suga and Daichi stole kisses during practice, or if Narita and Kinoshita held hands, or if Hinata liked to hug Kageyama at random intervals, or if Tsukishima and Yamaguchi called each other by their given names when “no one” was listening, or if Kiyoko and Yachi—alright, this was starting to get ridiculous. Everywhere he looks, there’s some amount of PDA, and he just can’t get away from it.He’s starting to get annoyed, but with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, there’s no way he can get out of this. His teammates are going to be absolutely unbearable.It’s not as if he wants a relationship. He doesn’t.But of course, Tanaka Ryuunosuke just has to exist, and maybe he does want one after all. But Tanaka’s straight. Right?
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Ennoshita Chikara/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kinoshita Hisashi/Narita Kazuhito, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 17
Kudos: 180





	Ennoshita Chikara Does Not Want a Relationship (Really.)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LessonsFromMoths](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LessonsFromMoths/gifts).



> Happy Birthday, Jo!
> 
> This is one day early for Valentine’s Day, but a big Happy Birthday to [LessonsFromMoths](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LessonsFromMoths/pseuds/LessonsFromMoths)! I know I just dedicated a fic to you, but here, I hope you enjoy my EnnoTana fic (with some Ukai cameos and also some Asexual Ennoshita, as well as some hopefully good Tanaka moments.
> 
> This fic was purely self-indulgent and I wrote it in less than a week. I tried to make it compliant with at least SOME aspects of Japanese society and bombarded my father with questions until he started getting annoyed. But people in Japan don’t really do PDA, there is no Japanese version of the K-I-S-S-I-N-G song, and I really don’t know what non-hetero relationships do on Valentine’s Day vs White Day. Sorry!

Ennoshita was going to be sick.

Every single day when he entered practice, he just had to be hit with some sort of PDA between his fellow members. Every. Fucking Day. 

He was fine with it at first, of course. Happy about it, even. After all, why shouldn’t he feel happy for his teammates? Suga and Daichi were a given. He might’ve played a small role in getting Asahi and Noya together. Narita and Kinoshita were always together anyway. Kageyama and Hinata had done enough dancing around together. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were glued at the hip. And even the normally quiet Kiyoko had found solace in the timid Yachi.

But still, did every single waking moment in this goddamn club room just have to be stuffed with lovey-dovey moments between his teammates?

_ It wasn’t always this bad, _ Ennoshita complained silently in his head.  _ Why couldn’t it have stayed that way? _

He pondered this for a moment, wondering. First, there was a bit of handholding between Kiyoko and Yachi. Ennoshita found this endearing, of course—he was ecstatic for the two managers. And they were more below-the-radar in regards to their relationship, as neither girl was one to flaunt their partner. Their relationship would’ve warmed anyone’s heart, as Kiyoko was so obviously comfortable with Yachi, and Yachi was noticeably less anxious around Kiyoko. To add to the cuteness factor, both girls would turn a bright red whenever they were caught showing a bit of affection, as was shown when they were first spotted holding hands after practice.

And then there was Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, possibly the two club members that Ennoshita knew the least. He knew Yamaguchi after some time on the sidelines together, but the boy was rather shy and didn’t speak much, other than to cheer on the rest of the team. At first glance, their relationship would seem rather one-sided—but Ennoshita’s suspicions were quickly squashed when he spotted the normally stoic Tsukishima stealing quick kisses when he thought no one was looking. Thankfully, the two didn’t show off their relationship at all, possibly the least of all the couples in the club, and Ennoshita was blissfully deprived of large displays of affection from either of them.

Kageyama and Hinata were a little bit worse. Hinata was a very open and emotional person, always talking about how he was feeling and what he was thinking. So obviously, Ennoshita was exposed to a lot of affection between the two. Hinata liked to talk about his boyfriend, and Kageyama liked to show off his, and this was normal for the two, so Ennoshita was somewhat used to it at this point. So if Hinata kissed his boyfriend’s cheeks during practice, or if Kageyama bought Hinata meat buns and shared his jacket with him, Ennoshita could deal with it. Right?

Ennoshita was probably closest to Narita and Kinoshita, as they all were second-years and had shared classes with both. And so when the two started dating, he was pleasantly surprised. So what if they held hands during study sessions. So what if they kissed each other between classes. So what if they did everything together, leaving Ennoshita as a third wheel. He was happy for them. They were happy together. Even if it got on his nerves every once in a while.

Nishinoya had always been open about his feelings for Asahi. Always. Some of Ennoshita’s first memories of the volleyball club was  _ Asahi-this _ and  _ Asahi-that, _ and that, he admitted, was annoying. Ennoshita was  _ delighted  _ when Nishinoya asked Asahi out, and even more delighted when he found out that Asahi had accepted. Maybe now Noya would finally calm down about Asahi now that they were dating, right? Wrong. Now  _ every single conversation _ that he had with Noya was just 99% Asahi. For God’s sake, could it get any worse?

And it could! Because Suga and Daichi were dating, and both were obsessed with each other, and both  _ loved _ to talk about the other, and worst of all, the pure and unrelenting stream of PDA was endless. For fuck’s sake, he just wanted one practice without the two kissing every five minutes. He did not need to see the two parental figures of the club making out before and after practice. He did not need to hear about Daichi’s biceps or thighs, nor did he need to hear about Suga’s smile or hair or eyes.

Valentine’s Day was the final fucking straw. And it wasn’t even Valentine’s Day yet.

* * *

Ennoshita had resolved to confront his teammates before it became unbearable, so the next day, he approached a few of his fellow second-years. They were sitting on the side of the volleyball gym for a short break during practice, and all of them were sweating and breathing rather harshly.  _ This is your chance, _ he told himself, walking up to them as they were chatting about who-knows-what.

He sat down next to them. “This is starting to get ridiculous.”

Next to him, Noya paused mid-Asahi-rant. “What’s getting ridiculous?”

“This!” Ennoshita gestured toward Noya, then Narita and Kinoshita. “It’s ridiculous!”

Narita glanced up. “What do you mean?” He asked as he ran his hands through Kinoshita’s hair, holding his boyfriend’s head in his lap.

Ennoshita gritted his teeth. “This PDA in this club is absolutely endless. Literally.” He leaned his head back into the wall, trying to calm his breathing. 

Noya let out a laugh. “Endless? I think that’s an exaggeration.”

Ennoshita raised his eyebrows. “Really, Noya? Take a look around us.”

Noya’s eyes raked over his teammates. Ennoshita beside him. Kinoshita’s head in Narita’s lap. Hinata, a few feet away, his limbs wrapped around Kageyama’s torso as he chatted away about who-knows-what. Tsukishima, sitting on the ground on the other side of the gym with a flush of red on his face, as Yamaguchi taped his fingers with a concentrated look on his face. Kiyoko, discussing something with Ukai as Yachi clutching her hand as if she were an elementary schooler about to cross the street. Daichi, with his head on Suga’s shoulder with his arms wrapped around his shoulders while Suga conversed with Tanaka as if he didn’t have a 5'9'' man draped all over him. Asahi standing off to the side, dripping with sweat, a hair tie between his teeth as he combed back loose strands of hair with his fingers, his brow furrowed in concentration while—

“Noya,” Ennoshita snapped. “Focus.”

Noya scowled and tore his eyes away from Asahi. “It’s not  _ endless, _ though.”

“Noya, the majority of our conversations are about Asahi. It is literally  _ endless. _ I can’t even remember our last conversation that didn’t even mention Asahi once.”

“That’s true,” Kinoshita piped up. “We were literally talking about Tanaka’s shoe size once and you brought up Asahi at least five times.”

“I resent that—”

“No,” Ennoshita cut Noya off, pointing at Kinoshita accusingly. “You two can’t even say anything about this. You don’t talk about each other all the time, but that’s because you’re  _ always together _ anyway, and I get stuff like this—” he gestured to Narita’s lap. “—shoved down my throat every single time we spend more than a minute in the same room.”

“But the rest of the team isn’t so bad—”

Ennoshita shot a glare at Narita. “I have seen Daichi and Suga making out every chance they get.”

Noya scoffed. “But that’s Daichi and Suga, there’s—”

Ennoshita interrupted him, ticking his fingers off one by one. “I have attempted to tutor Kageyama and Hinata after practice which always ends in either an argument or Hinata snoring on Kageyama’s shoulder. I wouldn’t be able to count how many times Tsukishima has given into Yamaguchi’s puppy-dog eyes after being repeatedly asked by the rest of us to do something. I have yet to see Yachi let go of Kiyoko’s hand even once. Hinata kisses Kageyama’s cheek after he buys him a meat bun. Yamaguchi calls Tsukishima “Kei” when they’re alone and Kiyoko likes to pet Yachi’s hair—”

“Alright, alright, I get it!” Noya held up his hands in defeat. “But it’s not as if it’s unbearable, Chika.”

“It’s not  _ unbearable, _ but it’s starting to get on my nerves!” Ennoshita exhaled, then shook his head. “Look. I’m happy that you all are in good relationships and that you have good significant others. I really am. But I do not need to hear about them or see all of you expressing it at every given moment!”

The gym fell uncomfortably silent. 

Ennoshita glanced up. His teammates were staring at him in surprise, some looking like they were on the verge of laughter. A few moments of awkward quiet filled the air, and Ennoshita felt like shrinking into his shoes to avoid their gazes. 

“I agree with Chika!” Tanaka shouted out suddenly, and Ennoshita exhaled in relief. Tanaka swiveled around to face his teammates. “All your affection can get on my nerves. It’s not fair for the two singles in this team to have to deal with it all the time!”

“Why don’t you just get a girlfriend, Tanaka-san,” Tsukishima called across the gym tauntingly.

Tanaka jerked his head over, opening his mouth to roar a retort, but Yamaguchi had already elbowed Tsukishima sharply. “That’s not nice, Tsukki. We can tone down the affection if you like.” He directed the last bit to his seniors, with a polite nod.

“Does it really bother the two of you this much?” Daichi asked, his tone serious.

“Daichi-san,” Ennoshita said flatly. “I cannot take you seriously if you are still draped over Sugawara-san like that.”

Daichi flushed red, and Suga burst out laughing. “Okay, we get it. We’ll turn down the affection.”

Ennoshita exhaled. “Okay. Thanks.”

His teammates nodded and Daichi clapped his hands together. “Alright, let’s get back to practicing!” He said loudly, and the awkward atmosphere faded slightly. Ennoshita got to his feet and glanced at Tanaka.

Tanaka was looking back at him with a thoughtful look on his face. He noticed Ennoshita staring back, and blinked, but flashed him a big grin.

Ennoshita felt his chest lurch and looked away.

* * *

Ennoshita was walking down the hall a few days later. He was heading back to his classroom after going to the bathroom, thinking about the club’s conversation the other day, as well as his teammate’s promise. He had to admit, he did doubt the credibility of their assurances, but he kept his hopes up, albeit skeptically.

He was striding down the hallway with his hands in his pockets when he heard familiar voices from around the corner.

“Alright, you got this. So what’s your plan?”

Noya was speaking rather loudly in rather excited tones, bringing his hands together in an encouraging clap. Normally, Ennoshita would turn the corner and make sure that he wasn’t getting into too much mischief, but something told him to stay where he was. He pressed his back against the wall and listened intently.

“I’m not gonna make chocolates or write a card or anything like that. I’m just gonna get straight to the point. That’s the best way to do it, right?”

Tanaka. He was speaking rather quickly, and he seemed almost...nervous, which was unlike him. Ennoshita inched a bit closer, trying to keep his breathing even.  _ Chocolates? A card? _

“Yeah, that’s good! So what’re you gonna say?” Noya’s shoes squeaked against the floor, and Ennoshita could almost picture him, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement. “Practice with me. Just say it.”

“Okay. I like you, please go out with me.”

Ennoshita almost choked.  _ What? _ Tanaka was planning a confession? To whom? His heartbeat started to pick up, and Ennoshita felt it against his ribcage. Vaguely, he heard Noya speak.

“No, no, you gotta put emotion into it, man! You sound dead. Like…” Noya sucked in a breath. “I like you! Go out with me!”

“Got it, okay. So like...I like you! Please—are you sure that it isn’t too overused? Everyone confesses this way,” Tanaka groaned.

“It’s  _ fine, _ Ryuu, I swear. It’s customary. Classic.”

“Classic. I can do classic.” 

“Okay, try it,” Noya said encouragingly. 

“Fuck. Okay. I like you, please go out with—fuck, I can’t do this.”

Ennoshita spun on his heel, striding down the hall at a fast pace. He didn’t want to hear any more. Tanaka was going to confess to someone. Okay. That was fine. He exhaled slowly, trying to focus.

Fuck, why did his heart feel like it was about to pound out of his chest? He exhaled again, hoping to calm the rushing in his ears. Tanaka was practicing a confession with Noya, which meant he was probably preparing something for Valentine’s Day.

Tanaka hadn’t ever dated anyone before, but if he asked someone out, they’d probably say yes. Sure, he was outgoing and loud and maybe a little obnoxious, but he was a good guy. He respected people and was a good listener, and it wasn’t like he was bad looking. Any girl would accept a confession, even if they didn’t exactly like him back.

Okay, cool. Ennoshita could deal with that. He’d probably have to deal with Tanaka gushing about his new girlfriend every given chance—he’d seen how the boy used to act with Kiyoko. That was fine. If he could deal with Noya blabbing away about Asahi, he could handle Tanaka with his new girlfriend.

He let out a few harsh breaths, turning the corner of the hallway. He leaned against the wall, sinking to the floor and tucking his chin to his knees. His chest heaved, and he could feel his rapidly beating heartbeat as he attempted to catch his breath.

Why was he so shaken up? It wasn’t as if he was that bothered by seeing all his teammates in relationships. It got on his nerves, yes, but not to this extent.

Was he jealous of his teammates for being in a relationship? Ennoshita didn’t exactly desire one at the time, right?  _ Did _ he want to date someone?

Not really, he concluded. A relationship took time and work, and he didn’t want to deal with that, especially while he was only in his second year of high school.

So why did he feel like he wanted to rip his own heart out? Why—

Oh,  _ fuck. _

_ Shit. _

Jesus fuck, why did it have to be Tanaka? His obnoxiously loud and extroverted best friend? Why the fuck did it have to be him? Why couldn’t it have been one of his other classmates, someone other than his own best friend?

_ Fuck. _ Ennoshita pressed his fingers into his temples, trying to quell a growing headache.

Curse his fucking feelings and his goddamn heart. 

* * *

They did not keep their promise.

Chikara walked down to the gym less than a week later, expecting to see Kageyama and Hinata arguing over who won the race this time. He did not see that.

Instead, he saw Kageyama pressing Hinata into the doors and making out with him passionately.

He groaned inwardly, with an uncontrollable urge to charge over and scold them, but he forced himself to walk normally. “Hey, lovebirds,” he called. “What happened to keeping the affection to a minimum?”

Kageyama jerked backward, and the two separated, their faces bright red. Ennoshita rolled his eyes and held up the club room key. “Want me to let you two in or no?”

“Sorry, Ennoshita-san!” Hinata yelped, then elbowed Kageyama. Kageyama turned a darker shade of red.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, with a slight bow of his head.

Ennoshita sighed and unlocked the door.

* * *

“Chikara!”

Ennoshita glanced up at the classroom door. It was the middle of their lunch break, which meant that students were weaving in and out of the classrooms, chattering with their friends, but Ennoshita had always preferred staying in his seat until the next class started. Most of the time, his friends would join him if the class was empty enough, and today was no exception. Tanaka was striding purposefully toward him, looking determined.

_ Shit shit shit shit shit. _ Ennoshita felt his face flush at the sight of him.  _ Fuck. What am I supposed to do? _

“Hey,” he said, dropping his gaze to his unopened bento.

Tanaka picked up the chair of the desk in front of him, sitting down backward in it and setting his own bento down on Ennoshita’s desk. “Hey,” he said. “So. Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day.”

Ennoshita almost groaned at the thought, fishing a pair of chopsticks from his bento and picking up a bit of fish with it. He stopped himself, however, and focused instead on cooling his rapidly flushing cheeks. “Yeah,” he said. “What about it?”

Tanaka grimaced. “Our teammates are getting a little bit unbearable, huh?”

“It’s fine. They can control themselves.”

“Chikara, you walked in on Kageyama and Hinata kissing outside the gym  _ yesterday.” _

Ennoshita huffed, hoping his face wasn’t as red as it felt. Why did Tanaka have to act so  _ normal? _ “It’ll get better after the holiday.”

“You mean, after White Day,” Tanaka reminded him.

Ennoshita did groan now, setting his chopsticks down. “Fuck. They’re gonna be awful.”

“So you don’t think they’ll keep their PDA to a minimum?”

“Tanaka, they barely kept their promise for three days.”

Tanaka let out a laugh. “True,” he said, before his expression grew serious. “So I’m guessing you’re not doing anything for tomorrow?”

Ennoshita scoffed. “Definitely not.”

“Okay. Cool.”

Ennoshita eyed his friend carefully. He’d never really noticed how Tanaka’s ears seemed to turn bright red when he was uncomfortable. In fact, he’d never really noticed a lot about Tanaka, but now he seemed to be almost hyper-aware of everything he was doing. The way he held his chopsticks or tapped his foot when he was trying to sit still, or how he leaned the chair onto two legs while he ate. He was obviously wanting to say something right now, but his gaze was staring pointedly at his food.

“Do you have something to say, Tanaka?” he asked, point-blank.

Tanaka glanced up at him in surprise. “Ah, well...I was thinking, since neither of us has a date or anything tomorrow, maybe we hang out tomorrow.”

_ Wait, what? I thought he was going to confess to some girl today? _ Ennoshita stared at his friend, confused. Tanaka took his silence as disgust, and his ears turned an even brighter red, a bit of flushing spreading to his cheeks. “As friends, of course!” He added quickly, his voice cracking.

_ Ouch. _ “As friends?” Ennoshita asked, but shook his head.  _ Don’t sound so disappointed. He’ll figure it out. _ “Yeah. That works.”

Tanaka’s face split into a grin. “Great,” he said. “Want to grab something to eat after school? We can walk there or something.”

“Okay. Sounds good.”

Ennoshita hoped he was hiding his disappointment better than he probably was.

* * *

Tanaka’s choice of lunch was a hot udon place a short walk away from school, and the two walked there after practice. Their teammates were indeed unbearable throughout the day, and a rather annoyed Ukai had released them early, to Ennoshita’s relief.

They arrived at the restaurant and took a seat by the window, and Ennoshita couldn’t help but notice the number of couples that were filling the place, as well as a few strolling around outside. Ennoshita glanced around a little before narrowing his eyes at the boy sitting across from him. “Why exactly did you ask me to hang out today?”

Tanaka’s face turned red and he coughed. “Well,” he said, shifting slightly in his seat. “We’re the only single guys on the team. Including the managers. And it’s Valentine’s Day, so…” he trailed off.

Ennoshita leaned forward in his seat. “Tanaka,” he said sternly. “I know you’ve never had a girlfriend before and you have certainly never gone on a date on Valentine’s Day. I also know that you were planning something for today because you’ve been talking to Noya about it. And then you approached me yesterday and asked me if we wanted to hang out.”

Tanaka stared at him, his lips parted.

“Were you rejected by someone? And then you just asked me to get lunch at the last resort?” Ennoshita shook his head, exasperated. “At least be honest with me if you—”

“Chikara,” Tanaka interrupted. “I like you. Please go out with me.”

Ennoshita’s mouth fell open mid-sentence, and he stared at Tanaka, who stared resolutely back at him. His jaw was set in unwavering determination, and not even a hint of hesitation was seen on his face. Ennoshita found himself staring at him, then forced himself to speak.

“This is a joke, right?” He asked flatly.

Tanaka didn’t respond, just stared at him.

“I don’t really appreciate that, Tanaka, so if you could—”

“It’s not a joke, I swear!” Tanaka yelped, then shrunk into his seat when a few seated customers glanced at him with mild annoyance. “It’s not a joke,” he said again, quieter this time. “I like you.”

Ennoshita narrowed his eyes at his friend. Tanaka’s cheeks were bright red, and he was fiddling with his fingers in his lap, avoiding Ennoshita’s gaze.

“Are you sure? Because if Noya put you up to thing to annoy me or something because I heard you two in the hallway the other day—”

“Wait, you heard us? Then you should know, I’m not joking!” Tanaka interrupted.

Ennoshita sighed. “Tanaka, you kissed Kageyama on a dare once, I know that you take your dares seriously but please don’t drag me down with you.”

“Chikara. Please. I’m serious. I like you. Go out with me.”

Ennoshita stared at him for a few long moments.

“Okay,” he said.

Tanaka jerked his head up. “Really?”

“Yeah. Let’s date.”

“Are you sure? I can write you a card or something if you want that. I’ll get you chocolates—do you like chocolate? Noya said it was fine and that I wouldn’t need them—”

“Tana—Ryuu, you don’t need to get me chocolates.”

“Are you just saying yes to take pity on me? Because if you are, I really don’t want to force you—”

“Would you prefer me to be straightforward?” Ennoshita said, his tone turning teasing. “I also like you, Ryuu. Let’s date.”

Tanaka’s mouth fell open. “You like me too?” He asked, incredulous.

Ennoshita nodded.

“Holy  _ shit,” _ Tanaka said softly, then his face grew into a big smile. “You like me. Wow.”

Ennoshita nodded again, barely hiding a small smile.

“So...are we dating now?”

Ennoshita laughed. “Yeah, I guess we are.”

“So this is our first date?”

“It would seem so.”

“Awesome.” Tanaka picked up a menu, still grinning. “I have a boyfriend.”

Ennoshita didn’t bother to hide his smile now.

* * *

“Okay. So what are the boundaries here?”

Ennoshita looked up from his book to find Tanaka staring at him. He had gotten to the clubroom early and was sitting on the floor reading while he waited for the other members to arrive. “What?”

Tanaka’s mouth formed a straight line. “You’re ace, right? So what’s okay and what’s not okay?”

Ennoshita stared at him for a moment. “Wait, you remembered?”

Tanaka’s face took on a wounded look. “Of course I remembered. I liked you when you came out, too.”

“Oh.”

“So what’s okay with you?”

Ennoshita sighed. “Do you really want to talk about this right now?”

Tanaka glanced around them. The club room was empty, besides the folded net and a couple of canvas bags filled with volleyballs. “Yeah. Let’s talk about it.”

Ennoshita closed his book and set it aside. “Okay.”

“So.” Tanaka sat down, crossing his legs. “Tell me what you need. Boundaries. Anything.”

“Well…” Ennoshita hesitated. “If you want to get straight to the point, sex isn’t completely off the table.”

Tanaka blinked.

“If you want it, we can try it. I’ve only ever tried it doing...anything of the sort, I guess...once or twice. But I can try.”

Tanaka’s brow furrowed. “But do you like it?”

Ennoshita wavered, but Tanaka seemed to understand. “I don’t need to have sex to be happy with you, Chikara! If it doesn't make you happy, then we won’t do it.”

“I’m serious, Ryuu. If you want to try—”

“If it doesn’t make you happy, we won’t do it,” Tanaka repeated.

Ennoshita exhaled slowly, feeling something inside him relax. “Okay. Thank you.”

“It’s not something you have to thank me for,” Tanaka complained, but continued, his face settling into a serious gaze once again. “So what is okay? Like...holding hands, is that okay?”

“Hand-holding is good. Hugging, stuff like that, all fine. Kissing is fine too.”

Tanaka brightened. “Kissing is okay?”

Ennoshita nodded. “Yeah. Kissing is good.”

“So can I kiss you now?”

Ennoshita blinked, then shook his head frantically. “We’re in the middle of the gym, Ryuu, the others will be here any moment.”

“C’mon, they won’t be here for at least another five minutes,” Tanaka whined. “And I’ve wanted to kiss you for  _ ages, _ Chika, you wouldn’t even believe me if I told you. Even Noya’s started to complain, and that’s saying something.”

Ennoshita huffed, but he couldn’t hide the small smile that pulled at his lips. “Okay. Just one, though.”

Tanaka grinned widely. “Really?”

“Just  _ one, _ Ryuu.”

“Yup!”

And then Tanaka was leaning forward, and Ennoshita was leaning too, and then they were kissing, and Tanaka’s fingers were carding through his hair and Ennoshita had his hands on Tanaka’s neck. His lips were surprisingly gently, slightly chapped, and yet soft at the same time, and Ennoshita found himself drawing his body closer. It was like he was suddenly hyper-aware of everything around him, Tanaka’s hands in his hair and Tanaka’s lips meeting his and the warmth of his skin as his forearms brushed against Ennoshita’s collarbone. The heat rising in his cheeks, Tanaka’s shorn hair against his fingertips, and the faint scent of his cologne.

His heart pounded in his chest. And yet he found himself liking it. Tanaka was being almost uncharacteristically gentle and calm, and it wasn’t uncomfortable or lewd. It wasn’t at all like the movies, with tongue or smacking lips or heavy breathing. In fact, it was rather sweet.

He liked it.

_ I could do this some more. _

They separated after just a few moments. Ennoshita opened his eyes—when had he closed them?—and Tanaka was beaming at him, his cheeks flushed slightly, his face just inches away.

“Okay, maybe just one more,” Ennoshita mumbled softly.

Tanaka beamed even wider and leaned in slowly.

“Ha! I told you so!”

Tanaka jerked away, and Ennoshita leaned back, his heart racing. Noya was charging into the gym, his shoes squeaking against the floor. “I told you!” He crowed. “Didn’t I say he’d say yes? Narita thought for sure that he’d reject you—”

“I didn’t say for sure,” Narita said irritably, following Noya into the room, closely followed by Kinoshita. “I said it was unlikely, considering how Ennoshita is about PDA—”

“Doesn’t seem like he’s so against it now,” Kinoshita said snidely.

Ennoshita felt heat rushing to his cheeks, and he groaned. Next to him, Tanaka was rolling onto his back, propped up by his elbows. Ennoshita’s book was a few feet away, completely forgotten.

“What’s going on here?” Daichi entered the club room next, Suga at his heels. 

Suga narrowed his eyes at the five of them. “Why are the two of you so red? What happened?”

“Ryuu and Chikara, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I—” Noya chanted loudly.

“Shut up, we’re not in grade school anymore!” Ennoshita groaned, clamping his hands over his ears.

Daichi blinked. “Hang on—”

“Oh, did Tanaka finally confess?”

Kiyoko had slid through the gym door with Yachi in tow. Next to Ennoshita, Tanaka was nodding proudly, wrapping his arm around Ennoshita’s shoulder. Kiyoko gave the two of them a rare smile. Yachi gasped in delight. “Ah! I’m so happy for you two!” She said happily, then flushed. “I mean...not that you two needed to be in a relationship or anything, I just—”

“It’s okay, Yacchan!” Tanaka said happily. “We’re happy too, right, Chika?”

Ennoshita groaned and buried his face into his hands, but he nodded. Tanaka let out a booming laugh.

“Oh, did Tanaka-san finally get his act together?” Tsukishima’s familiar drawl was heard, followed by a quieter, “Sorry, Tadashi.”

“That’s great, Ennoshita-san and Tanaka-san!” Yamaguchi’s voice piped up, followed by Hinata’s excited gasp.

“Whoa, that’s so cool! You guys are dating now?”

“Why’s it so cool, dummy? We’re dating too!” Kageyama snapped.

“Yeah, but that’s different!”

“How’s it—”

“You okay, Chika?” Tanak asked quietly. 

Ennoshita lifted his head out of his hands. “Yeah. Just kinda overwhelming.”

Tanaka smiled and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m here, though!”

Daichi’s hands clapped together. “Alright, let’s get it together. Ennoshita, Tanaka, we’re all very happy for the two of you, but we need to start warming up—”

“Oh God, not another one.”

Ennoshita looked up at the door, where Ukai was staring at them with a face of pure annoyance. “You two? I’m going to have to deal with seven couples instead of six? You guys are unbearable as is—”

“Sound familiar?” Tanaka murmured in Ennoshita’s ear, who snorted quietly.

“Hey, don’t whisper to each other when I’m talking!” Ukai jabbed a finger accusingly at them. “I don’t want to see any lovey-dovey business while I’m coaching, or I swear to God I’ll quit—”

“What’s this about quitting, Ukai-kun?”

Ukai’s face turned a bright shade of red as Takeda stepped into the gym beside him, slipping on his shoes. “Nothing, Sensei,” he sputtered. “Tanaka and Ennoshita are dating now, supposedly.”

“Ah, congratulations.” Takeda smiled at the two of them, before turning back to Ukai. “Shall we start?”

Ukai nodded, and Ennoshita leaned over to Tanaka’s ear. “Really familiar,” he whispered quietly.

Tanaka grinned.

“Get your asses off the floor, you two!” Daichi said loudly, and the two obeyed, getting to their feet. “Tanaka, Noya, you both get five laps, I didn’t forget that shit you pulled last practice.”

Tanaka groaned and began to make his way over, but Ennoshita grabbed his wrist. Tanaka looked back at him, surprised, but Ennoshita quickly tugged his face close to his and pecked his cheek quickly before he could think it over too much.

Tanaka’s face turned scarlet and he lifted his free hand to touch his face gingerly, but Ennoshita had already walked away, smiling to himself.

Maybe showing affection wasn’t so bad.

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank you to [midnightswordsdance](https://midnightswordsdance.tumblr.com/) ([midnightswordsdance on AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightswordsdance/pseuds/midnightswordsdance)) She has some awesome Seventeen fics if you’re into that!
> 
> And mere. [Mereibitch](https://mereibitch.tumblr.com/) ([Pepper_Moon on AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pepper_Moon/pseuds/Pepper_Moon)) ANSWER MY EMAIL PLEASE FFS
> 
> And another big thank you to [lessons-from-moths](https://lessons-from-moths.tumblr.com/lessons-from-moths) ([LessonsFromMoths on AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LessonsFromMoths/pseuds/LessonsFromMoths)) HAPPY BIRTHDAY JO BEAN!!
> 
> And a happy early Valentine’s Day to all of you! If you enjoyed, kudo and comment, please!


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